The
idea, put forward by provincial Auditor-General Kim McPherson, to make
the individual pay of doctors public has been rejected by the Alward
Government.
Health
Minister Ted Flemming met with the New Brunswick Medical Society to talk
about the concerns raised by her about double billing on the part of
some doctors.
Anthony
Knight of the Medical Society says it supports addressing what he calls
rare inconsistencies but tells Tide News the doctors have gone out of
their way to help out the province financially with a two year freeze on
any increases in their Medicare fee schedules. He questions how much
value the provincial government has placed on that.
The
Medical Society has told us doctors believe they have been under attack
of late in some sort of campaign to taint the public's perception of
them but adds they're looking forward to a stronger relationship with
the Department of Health.
With the
official resignation of Saint John Councillor Donnie Snook, the picture of
will happen to his seat around the council horseshoe is becoming much
more clear.
Mike
Quinn of Elections NB tells Tide News the are regular scheduled
by-elections to fill vacant seats that arise throughout the province.
The
next round of by-elections is scheduled for Monday, May 13th, so Snook's
seat will remain vacant until then. There are currently 6 different
requests for by-elections from 6 different municipalities throughout the
province, and the number will be 7 if Saint John council votes to move
in that direction.
Now's
the time the credit card bills from Christmas are coming in and that's
putting a strain on the finances of many households.
John
Eisener, the President of Credit Counselling Services for Atlantic
Canada, tells Tide News the average debt loads of the people who are
coming into his office for held are anywhere from 26 to 28 thousand
dollars.
He says if you made minimum payments each month, it would take you from 20 to 30 years to pay it all off.
Eisener
says the rising cost of living is putting a strain on households and if
your finances are causing you to lose sleep at night or arguments at
home then you need some help to get out of the hole.
An investigation is underway to determine the source of a new case of E. coli which has been confirmed in the province.
Lab
results show there's a link with six other cases already reported and
Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Eilish Cleary says the most likely
cause is shredded lettuce distributed by FreshPoint.
Seven people have now been diagnosed with E. coli in New Brunswick. There are other cases in Nova Scotia and Ontario.
She says
if you're going to eat lettuce or cabbage, throw the outer leaves away
and then remove the remaining leaves before thoroughly rinsing them in
water for about 30 seconds.
There's many four-legged early risers this morning.
Volunteers
and staff at the Saint John SPCA Animal Rescue League are packing up 35
cats and supplies for their trip to UPEI'S Veterinary College. It's the
start of Operation Cat Nip, a new initiative where all the cats will be
spayed and neutered at a minimal cost to help lower Port City's vast
amount of stray felines.
The
SPCA calls it a "win-win" for both the shelter and students, who gain
clinical experience from the surgeries and the cats are fixed for a low
cost.
Cats
who have been fixed are less likely to roam, mark their territory, and
have a reduced risk of illness. All the cat surgeries will take place
today and the felines will be checked over before coming back home to
Saint John.
